Re: [UC] Slate Roof?

[Bronswolfe]

Melanie,

This really is a tough issue. Slate roofs have a life span of about 100 years. Many of our homes are at that juncture. I know the ridge rolls on our house are almost shot. And we've spent thousands on having the mansard gutters relined, and having valleys re-tinned. But every time more and more slate comes loose. I have saved every salvageable piece that I can. The leaks have become more difficult to trace back to point of origin. This past winter, with snow and ice melt has been the worst. 

Our neighbor at the opposite end of Baltimore Ave. had an estimate to replace just the slate portion of his roof: $120,000.00. I don't doubt that this is a fair price. I also know that as two guys who both work for non-profits, we'll have a hard time fitting that into our budget. So we put it off, and that's not doing the structure of our roof any favors.

I know the importance of maintaining the visual integrity of our architectural heritage. I know that it affects not just our own home, but that of our neighbors as well. Guidelines emphasizing visual continuity while compromising the quality (read long-life) would be a little easier for those on fixed/low/moderate incomes to support.

Much as I wnt to put  new slate roof on this house, I'll never win that argument with Gary unless I suddenly win the lottery or inherit the cash.

I know that there are products out there in the asphalt shingle line which read just like slate from the ground (If properly installed) Perhaps a valuable compromise position would be establishing guidelines for asphalt shingle installations (product recomendations, spacing guidelines, breaking up flat planes with trim, etc.) so that from the street the new, more affordable roofs look just like their predecesors.


Fred Wolfe